Freedom in His Arms

Well, dear friends, it's been far, far too long, and yet I'm not terribly sorry for not writing. It feels like everything inside of me is an egg that has been under an incubator for the past three months and is just now getting ready to hatch.

Lindsey and I have been home for a month now from a marvelous, incredible, beautiful adventure at Ellerslie Leadership Training in Windsor, Colorado. That is where we spent most of the summer, hence the lack of posts. But now I do believe that it's high time to get back to sharing with all of you about the wondrous truths that Jesus reveals to us about Himself as we strive to know Him more.

Yesterday morning I was starting to feel overwhelmed. It wasn't about any particular thing, but about a very long list of things that was being compiled in my head until I wasn't sure what direction to turn. Responsibilities, old and new, were beginning to pile on top of one another, and I was folding under the pressure.

Then, last night, I sat down on a grassy hillside that overlooked a glorious sunset, meditating on God's faithfulness over the past five years and on the journey He's taken me through. Remembering my near-panicked attitude that morning, I felt embarrassed.

As I looked down the hill and across the park, I noticed a little girl no more than two years old running along a sidewalk as fast as her tiny legs would carry her. She smiled with glee, looking as if she had finally escaped and could run free. Not too far behind her, her father ran after her and tried to catch her.

"Slow down, Lauren," he whispered. 

The girl's name caught my attention, to say the least.

"Slow down, Lauren," Jesus whispered to me. "If I've really called you to complete all of these tasks, I'll give you everything you need to take care of all of them." 

Later, I saw the same man carrying his little Lauren in his arms. She was fussing (I'm sure because she wanted to keep running) but she stayed. Maybe someday I'll learn to do the same. 

"One day you'll learn that true freedom is found when you're finally at rest in My arms. Slow down and let Me carry you."

"'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'" Isaiah 41:10